Rise of Darkness
by mcbriderulz
Summary: Pitch Black has returned and has a new partner, a quite deadly one. This dark duo holds a dangerous threat towards the children of the world, a threat possibly too great for the Guardians to handle... Rated T just in case. better than summary.
1. Darkness is reborn

**A/N:**

**Hey guys :) this is my first RotG fic (besides a few drabble ideas) and I'd really like your reviews on what you think of it or questions or anything. sorry about any grammatical or spelling mistakes! i tried... :)**

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"You're too slow!" Jack Frost laughed as he flew high over the rooftops. Tooth Fairy and Bunnymund were right behind him. Tooth laughed and Bunny smirked "I told you once, Frosty, don't race a rabbit." The two originals shared a mischievous smile before scooping up handfuls of snow and chunking poorly formed snowballs at the young Guardian.

He faltered in air and crash landed onto a snow covered roof. He sat up and watched their two disappearing forms speed away laughing. He pushed himself up and laughed to himself as he brushed himself off. Tooth had a surprisingly good arm, though he expected it from Bunny with all the boomerangs and egg-grenades he threw around. Scooping up and arm load of snow, he silently called the wind and was swept up into the sky by the cold breeze.

* * *

They lost him for a while, but he was starting to catch up when a small feathered fairy flew into Tooth and whispered information to her. Tooth stopped short and flittered in the air, conversing with Baby Tooth. Bunny stopped and turned towards her. "What's going on, mate?" he asked after she dismissed the fairy.

"Something happened to a group of my faries that were working in the European area, an ambush or something. It's probably nothing, but I have to go see to them. Sorry!" She apologized in her quick sing-songy voice as she flew high into the air and away towards her castle. Bunny shrugged before glancing back at the fast approaching Jack. He launched from his spot on the roof and hopped along until the city began to thin. Trees began to mix with buildings and houses were farther apart. Soon enough Bunny was bounding through the forest and dodging trees with ease. When he was sure that he had lost the crazy winter spirit, he slowed to a stop and observed the wintery scenery.

When Jack still hadn't caught up after 1 minute, Bunny figured he gave up and tapped his foot on the ground. He glanced around one more time before jumping into the tunnel that led back to the warren.

* * *

Jack weaved in and out of trees and over frozen creeks with a handful of snow just in case he caught a glimpse of the sneaky rabbit. He touched down onto the frosty ice of a pond. Letting the snow ball drop from his hand, he sighed and propped the staff up on his shoulder. Glancing up at the winter sun, he could see it was getting late. Manny was slowly rising on the other side of the sky. He watched a flock of canadian geese fly above in a V-formation.

The shadows of the trees slowly grew longer, stretching out over lake and encircling the unsuspecting guardian. The circle grew tighter around him until it lapped at his feet. Jack jumped and looked down. Before he could react the shadows grabbed his bare feet with a vigorous grip. He heard the ice crack and he lost hold of his staff as he fell through the ice.

* * *

He tumbled down, pulled by shadows, into the dark abyss. The walls, what he could see, were sharp and moist. Jack could see his staff, just out of reach, start to fade as he fell farther and farther down. He reached out, trying to get a grip on anything to stop him from falling, but all he felt was the dark grains run through his fingers. The darkness pushed at him and enclosed him in itself. He could feel the air running out in the tight sphere it was forming around him. Suddenly everything stopped. The sand stopped twisting and tightening, the wind wasn't rushing in his ears anymore. Just black stillness as the evil shadows alleviated and air began to flow through his lungs again.

Jack sat up slowly and discovered the shadows holding him up inches above the bottom of the pit. He quickly jumped off and batted it away from him. He searched around the tunnel for his staff, but could hardly see in the dim light.

"Well, Jack, it's nice to see you again." a calm voice declared, "How long has it been since you and your friends ruined my plans and sent my own nightmares after me?"

Jack quickly glanced around, standing in the best defensive position he could do without his staff. A chilled laugh came from right in front of Jack and Pitch Black arose from the black shadow, holding Jack's staff in his hand. "No worries, I didn't bring you here to kill you."

He threw Jack the crook and placed his hands behind his back. "Then why am I here?" Jack growled, snatching the magic staff out of the air and clutching it tightly. Pitch smirked at the obvious fear Jack was trying to hide.

"Well, a few things actually. Starting with..."

Pitch gestured behind Jack and he turned slowly from the nightmare king and came face to face with himself. "...A... mirror?"

His reflection held a shocked expression laced with fear. What was strange about this mirror was that his mirrored persona had raven black hair and golden eyes instead of his normal pristine white hair and iridescent blue eyes. "What happened to my...?" he tugged at his hair but stopped mid-sentence when the reflection didn't move along with him. There was a strange vibe to the glass image that gave him chills and filled him with an unknown fear.

Pitch's cold laughter echoed in the cave and Jack glanced back at him confused. The shadow man didn't answer, just smiled amusedly. A soft chuckle breathed behind him and he spun back to the mysterious mirror, but the reflection was standing in an entirely different position than he. The dark navy blue hood was up over his head, casting his face in shadows, and his arms were crossed across his chest and a smirk etched across his pale white face.

"I think you're missing something." Pitch spoke from an unknown place in the shadows. The reflection looked down and silently chided himself before looking up again and stretching his arm out. His fingers flexed and the shadows moved from the floor until it pooled in his hand. A flick of his wrist and the wispy darkness stretched and formed into a black staff almost identical to Jack's own.

Jack's confusion must have been legible on his face because the dark reflection burst into a bone-chilling laugh. "He's so clueless." He suddenly turned serious and looked deeply at Jack "I'm no mirror, Jack. I'm real." he explained as started circling him, his movements quite similar to Jack how he floated and glided over the ground. His voice was shockingly identical to the winter spirit's.

Jack stared at him confused and defensive, his staff glowing blue ready to fire a sheet of ice if the spirt made any funny moves. Who was this spirit anyway?

"Ya know what the best part is?" his malicious voice interrupted Jack's thoughts. "The children will eventually forget about you and your fellow guardians. Eventually stop believing." he glided to a stop in front of the eternal boy and leaned on his black staff nonchalantly, "But even as the children grow up and become adults, they will never, _ever_ stop believing in me."

Jack furrowed his eyebrows and took a cautious step back. The darker version of him laughed and stood straight. He pulled his hood back off his head and smirked once more at Jack before he morphed into another being. His beady gold eyes danced in amusement at Jack's surprise and his sharp-toothed grin widened. The Nightmare King arose out of the shadows next to the mysterious spirt that had shape-shifted into a mirror image of Pitch. They looked almost exactly alike, Jack could barely tell the difference between the two.

They exchanged glances before boogeyman sank into the floor and arose right behind Jack. His arm, covered in shadow sand, formed into a metal glove with blades at each knuckle, he swung up and into the young spirit's back. He cried out in pain and fell forward onto his hands and knees. The bloody black sand flowed up back into pitch's sleeve and he stepped closer looking down at Jack along with his new ally.

A nightmare horse emerged from a jagged rock wall and grunted towards Pitch, it's blood red eyes begging to attack Jack and feed on his fear. The nightmare king held up a hand to silence it and he glared down at Jack for a second before raising him with his shadow sand. The injured spirit yelped in pain and his eyes flickered fearfully from Pitch, to the other dark spirit, and back. He handed jack the staff forcefully and Pitch whispered into his ear:

"Now, go find your precious little Guardians, and tell them that they better get ready. They haven't seen the end of me. I'm bringing fear back into the world, and you won't be able stop it this time."

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**A/N: Sooooooo...? i hope you liked it :) i worked hard on it and had to go back and change several things as i got new ideas and stuff. I might write more about the new dark spirit, i just freaking love him. you guys don't know him all that well cuz you havent read that much about him yet, but I really love him. I loved designing him cuz his powers are just freaking cool (The shape-shifting is my favorite) anyone want to guess who this mysterious spirit is and give your opinion on him?**

**plus i need help thinking of a title for this, im not too happy with the one i have, but its late and i couldn't really think of any...**

**So far this is just a one-shot, but it may become more. just depends on my creative juices and what my readers (pfff, what readers?) want. Thank you so much for reading! Please review!**


	2. Run

**Well, you guys convinced me :P (also i got so many follows and favs, i was so happy and overwhelmed)**

**Here is chapter two, i hope you enjoy it. im super sorry for any spelling mistakes.**

**i was reading over the first chapter earlier today and felt like it went to fast, so i'm going to try to slow things down in this one, i hope yall can manage my insanity :P**

**so this one is kinda longer, i might go back and re-write ch.1 and make it a bit longer too, do you guys think i should?**

**(btw, i was listening to "bernadette" by IAMX while writing chapter 1, and listening to "Sleepsong" by BASTILLE while writing this one) also, Jack curses a little bit in this.. be warned.**

**anywho, don't forget to favorite, follow, and review!**

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As soon as the twin dark spirits dispersed in shadow, Jack gathered his strength used a strong draught to pull his injured self out of the death pit. He stumbled as he landed on the ice and stopped to take a few pained, labored breaths. A screeching neigh erupted from the tunnel and a fearling bounded out of it. it stopped in front of him and glared, scraping it's foot on the ground in a threatening manner. Jack gripped his staff and swung it at the nightmare. The fearling jumped over the flying ice spears and galloped towards the injured guardian.

He stumbled, trying to get away on the slippery ice. "Wind..." he whispered and was propelled up into the indigo sky instantly. The dark horse immediately follows, black wisps of sand trailing behind it. It's bloody hooves pound in the sky as if it were running on ground, and Jack swears he can feel each hoof beat in his head. If he weren't running for his life, he might have gone mad from it. His eyes sting and the sky speeds by so fast that the clouds become a blur. Twisting and diving and bursting through clouds doesn't seem to loose the persistent beast. He tries several times to freeze it, but his aim is off and he is weak, and turning around slows him down a bit, drawing the nightmare closer.

The sky grows darker yet, but the chase doesn't cease. Man in the moon watches in suspense, lighting the way for Jack. He turns for a split second to glance behind and runs into an electricity tower. He grasped onto the metal bar and pulled him self up. The fearling dashed towards him and he took a deep breath, closing his eyes, and swung with all his might.

With a pained bray, the monster fell, the back half of it frozen. Jack released a sigh but gasped again when the fearling split in two, the frozen half falling onto the ground below and the very-much alive half reforming itself. It shook itself once before ascending the sky again. "Shit, these things don't give up." he hissed holding his side before jumping to the top of the tower. Another swing at the nearing horse but missed.

He knew he needed help. These things weren't easily beaten, especially in his weakened state. Leaping off, he dove down to the river and rose again to gain velocity. The water iced over where his staff brushed the surface and frost grew on the banks. Soaring back up into the sky he headed in the direction towards North's domain. Jack couldn't keep this up much longer.

As snow covered the land and cities grew scarce, the temperatures grew colder, giving him slightly more power. A used up that power to give a slight boost of speed. Miles stretched on under him with no sign of towns or North's palace.

Finally, Jack could see the great winter palace in the distant, the northern lights flowing out of the chimneys as North and the yetis prepared for christmas. Pitch's minion had caughten up, biting at Jack's bare feet and breathing laboriously. He bent his knees a little and tightened his form to slip the air easier. _Just a little farther _ he thought.

Almost painfully, an electric vibe pulsed through him and threw him off balance slightly. The nightmare crashed and evaporated with a reverberated bray as it struck against the protection shield around North's workshop. An exasperated sigh escaped jack and with it, an overwhelming tiredness filled him as the adrenaline ran out. Jack almost crashed into the great castle wall, but merely was able to fly into the always open grand-window.

North spun around from his place at the globe and stared at him puzzled. "Jack what are you...?" he asked shortly, his smile fading as he watched Jack stagger towards him, leaning heavily on his staff for support.

The puncture wounds in his back began to burn and ache. The usually jolly old spirit stepped forward and asked "Jack, are you okay?" Almost immediately Jack's legs gave out and he collapsed. North rushed to him caught him before he hit his head on the hard rock floor. "It's Pitch..." he murmured before his eyes drifted closed and his body went limp. North stared for a moment with fear and uncertainty in his eyes. The elves and yetis nearby stooped their work and stared, waiting for the big man to make a decision.

He stood and nodded at his minions to continue their work. He carefully carried the young spirit to a bedroom in the south tower and laid him across the soft light blue comforter. As he drew his hands out from under Jack, his left hand was red and sticky. he heedfully rolled the winter spirit over and witnessed the blue hoodie stained with blood. He called for one of the medical yetis to attend to his young friend.

Katerina, a yeti with yellow fur and brown eyes, entered the room carrying her bag of medical supplies. She pulled the sweatshirt off of him and examined the injuries. North glowered at the harm done to the young spirit and balled his hands into fists. Cleaning the blood away, the damage wasn't as bad as it seemed. Katerina spoke to North in a calm and hopeful manner, telling him that he should be alright, the wounds aren't that deep and that he will need plenty of rest to recover.

North nodded at her and asked her to check for anymore injuries that they could have missed and he stood to leave. Exiting the room, he sighed and walked back down the festively decorated corridors of the tower to the main room with the giant brass globe slowly spinning in the middle. Yellow lights covered almost every continent, and as some lights flickered out, more appeared. It was a daily occurrence but he had elves watch it in case of an event like what Pitch pulled so many years ago. North shuddered at the memory and wondered what Jack meant. They all expected Pitch to try again eventually, but no so soon. He couldn't have regained enough power yet to do something like this to Jack.

This situation might become a problem if he let it escalate. Deciding it was better to be safe than sorry, he unlocked a hatch and turned the great key, pushing in, the lights of the control board lit up brightly and an explosion of color rocked the castle. He watched from the great bay-window as the green, blue and yellow northern lights flew across the sky to summon the Guardians together again.

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**yay, another chapter down :) this took me a while to write, then when i was finally done, i looked back and was like "thats how much i wrote? seriously? wtf!?"**

**bleh my imagination is limited and i totally suck at writing fight/flying scenes. grrrrrrrrr sorry i put yall through that.**

**You guys have seen RotG, right? who was your fav character and why? (just trying to get to know my readers :3 )**

**Review with any thoughts, questions, and opinions :) thank you tons :D**


	3. Infection

"This better be bloody important."

North turned to see the 6 foot 1 pooka stepping out of a tunnel that was just closing up. An elf cheered and ran to hug the bunny's leg. He rolled his eyes and pushed it aside as he walked towards the great globe. Hopping up onto the lighten sphere, he sat at the top of it and pulled out a carrot and munched on it. North smiled up at him "Good to see you too, Bunny."

Bunnymund huffed and reclined against the globe and examined his boomerang. It was only a few months after Easter, so he wasn't too busy, but Bunny couldn't stand the cold. The chilled air and frozen, slippery ground irritated him deeply.

A flutter of wings filled the air and a swarm of neon green and blue flew through the window, followed by Tooth fairy, giving orders to sections of the swarm and watching them fly off to attend to their duties. She swiveled around and smiled widely at North, swooping low to hug him tightly. North chuckled at the excitable fairy and hugged her back. When released, she patted Bunny on the head, much to his annoyance, and flew up to the wooden arches holding up the domed ceiling and perched on a girder, continuing to instruct her remaining fairies.

Golden sand descended from the ceiling in a swirling vortex. When it touched the floor, it disappeared just as fast as it appeared, flowing into the sleeves of a familiar smiling face. Tooth stopped directing her minions to fly to Sandy and hug him. Sandy silently laughed and welcomed her embrace. Bunny jumped down from the globe, landing silently on his oversized feet and nodded 'hello' at the dream Guardian. "Alright, now where's Frosty? Not like he's busy with anything important-"

"Bunny!" Tooth scolded, hands at her hips. North's jolly smile had slowly disappeared as he remembered why he called his friends together.

"Well, he better show up soon, I don't have all day. Now whats going on, North? Why'dya call us?" Bunny crossed his arms and leaned against one of the great pillars.

"Something, or someone, attacked Jack. All I know is that Pitch had something to do with it."

The fairies stopped twittering and bunny's ears twitched. His impatient scowl evanesced and concern replaced it. "What?" Tooth's feathers ruffled and her bright purple eyes widened "Is he okay? Where is he?"

North waited for the fairies to stop their ruckus of squeaks before he continued "He is here, resting." He gestured for them to follow and he turned towards the middle of the control room, walking around the great globe. Turning and striding down a softly lit corridor, they climbed the winding stairs of the south tower and stepped onto the landing of the second floor. The door nearest to the start of the hall swung open and the nurse rushed out. She ran straight into North's chest and stumbled backwards before regaining her balance. North steadied the caramel colored yeti "What is wrong?"

Katerina stuttered her words before articulating slowly that Jack was gone. The others stood in confusion, waiting for the jolly man to translate. Instead, North flung the door entirely open and peered inside the guest room. The light blue and white covers lay shambolic and astray, slight traces of blood on the sheets from where Jack laid. Jack's blue hoodie lay on the chiffonier, the frost still stuck to the sleeves and collar. Ice packs lay scattered across the bed and floor, A thin layer of snowflakes rested on the window sill. The cream colored curtains fluttered freely from the cold breeze coming in from the open window, the hinges broken as if it was forced open without unlocking it.

Before the christmas spirt could even ask it, Bunny turned and agreed "I'm on it."

* * *

_The world was foggy and white, the bare trees had icicles clinging to their branches. Only being able to see what was in front of him, he trudged on. He slowly walked through the trees, a beautiful pattern of frost trailing behind him where his feet stepped. His staff seemed to be missing, but he wasn't worried. Without his staff he couldn't fly, but he didn't mind walking. _

_The sun was high and bright in the sky, but tiny snowflakes fell and stuck to his hair and clothes. Squirrels raced above on the branches, knocking loose snow that rested on the limbs. He knew this trail, it was the one he walked, or flew, almost everyday. The trail that led to his home: the pond where he was 'born'. Cardinals sang in the distance and small white bunnies bounded in and out of their dens. A heavy breath escaped his lips and the forest became eerily silent. Not even the wind shaking the branches of plants and turning up freshly fallen snow. A strange fear began to grow in Jack, and his foggy breaths shook. He took a step forward and the snow didn't even crackle or crunch. It conformed to his foot with out a noise. He looked to the sky to yell, try and make any sort of noise but his voice did not work, no sound came out. Grasping his throat, he turned to look for safety, but the surrounding woods were suddenly unfamiliar._

_Musical laughter floated down the trail in front of him and his head snapped towards it and he began to run, rushing towards wherever the sweet, welcoming sound came from. The trees abruptly cleared and he was at a pond, standing on a ledge above it. It wasn't the same pond as where he came from, but it was similar. On the ice below, laughing and skating, was a young girl that looked incredibly familiar to him. As she spun around and came to a stop facing him, he saw who she was. The same girl from the memory Babytooth showed him, his sister. She seemed to notice Jack watching and waved at him, smiling brightly. "Jack, hey, Jack! Come skate with me!"_

_Jack laughed and began making his way down the slippery rocks to the ice. Watching his feet carefully, he made sure he didn't slip. Looking back up again, he froze in place. behind his sister, Pitch loomed. A look of all seriousness was on his face. He stepped closer to her and placed his clawed fingers on her shoulder, but she didn't seem to even notice. Jack reached a hand out and mouthed 'no.' Confusion mixed with amusement on her face "What's wrong Jack? Don't you want to play?"_

_"Yes Jack, come play." he teased. The ice beneath them cracked and popped. Creaking beneath their weight, the ice shifted. Jack tried to move forward, but he was frozen in place. Two hands grasping the sides of his face forced him to watch as the ice fell apart and caved in on itself and Pitch drag her down into an endless cavern, under the ground to the heart of everlasting darkness, much like he did to Jack. But Jack knew that Pitch wasn't bringing her down to just talk, he was bringing her to her death._

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The winter spirit awoke with a start, sitting up straight in bed and knocking off the cold packs that were placed on his hot skin in an attempt to lower his temperature. Jumping out of the sweat-soaked bed, he grabbed his staff and burst through the window, letting the wind envelope him and take him southwards. He was drowsy at first, faltering in flight until the cold air met his febrile skin and he fully awoke. The chilled air helped clear his sick and panic-muddled mind. He knew it was a dream, but it felt so real, so personal, that he had to go and assure himself it wasn't real.

What ever was in that shot the yeti gave him was really taking a toll on him. His eyes were bleary and hurt when he looked into direct moonlight and his reflexes were slower than normal. Instead of soaring over and around clouds he just flew through the damp masses. he remembered the nightmare vividly, almost every detail burned into his mind. He remembered seeing a white dappled deer that according to the nature books he's read in North's office, was endemic to the northern-eastern states of America. Taking a sharp turn, he swerved on the wind and began combing the eastern shore of the States and began moving inland. City lights and pinewoods mixed together from his height in the sky. Swooping lower, he soared just above the trees, carefully examining each pond and lake for the replica in his dream. None seemed to fit the profile though.

An hour later, Jack's weakness began to catch up with him and his body ached. Enervation tugged at his mind and he decided to take a breather before continuing his search. Perching on a yellow birch, he leaned back against the trunk and shifted to get comfortable. He closed his eyes. With the wind caressing him softly and the soft humming from afar lulling him off to sleep-

Bolting up, Jack glanced around. He listened intently for the melody he heard in his dream. But the hardwood forest was silent. Under the impression that he had just nodded off for a second, he settled back against the tree and swung his left leg over the side. As he crossed his arms, he noticed for the first time this evening, he wasn't wearing his hoodie. Chuckling to himself, he reclined his head back and watched his fogged breath dance along with fluttering snowflakes in the night air. Manny sat high in the sky, at his fullest tonight, illuminating the winter wonder land a light blue. A white owl with black speckles flew over head, searching for it's next meal in the dead of night.

Jack shifted again as his back started to feel stiff. He floated to his feet and twirled the staff between his fingers as he walked to the end of the great limb and back.

The childish laughter rang purely again. It caught his attention again, this time he knew he wasn't dreaming. And he's off, flitting over the trees, turning up snowflakes from their resting places on branches.

The soft humming melody that had seemed so distant was suddenly right below him. It was coming from a little girl wandering down the trail, defiantly not his sister, though he mostly didn't expect it to be her. Jack noiselessly landed on a maple branch overhanging the thin deer trail.

He watched from above, leaning on his staff for support. The young girl crouched to the ground and began drawing swirls and shapes into the ground. Small yellow flowers sprouted from the earth wherever her fingers touched and dead falling leaves turned to butterflies as they floated to the ground. The little girl stood up to admire her work before skipping down the snowy trail again. Each step her bare feet took left illuminative footprints in contrast to the pristine white snow as she left a trail of neon colors in her wake. As she passed under him, her hands shot out and touched gleaming icicles hanging from rocks and tree branches. Each stalactite of ice chimed soft bells when her fingers brushed them. She sang softly to herself, only a few words audible from Jack's position. "...Red like roses fills my dreams and brings me to the place you rest..."

_Who is this girl? _Jack thought.

"Nice night for a stroll?" a familiar voice asked. Jack jumped and turned towards the branch opposite of him. Bunny was leaning against the trunk with his arms crossed nonchalantly. Jack rolled his eyes and looked back towards the forest floor, but the girl, and all evidence of her, was gone. He stood up straight and blinked several times "Did you see where that girl went?"

"What girl? It's only you and me, mate."

Jack stared at the clear blanket of snow, not even a glowing footprint left behind. He stumbled for a second and finally realized just how dizzy he was. Bunny stared at him scrutinizingly before asking "You alright? You just ran off with no warning or anything... you're acting a little strange is all." he summed up.

"It... It was nothing. I just needed to get out for a bit Ya, know... stretch." Jack excused, as he turned away. He became aware of his back that was bandaged tightly. It started to sting uncomfortably. "Right, well let's head back."

He took flight among the trees, following behind Bunny who was bounding on the soft snow below. It was strange that bunny didn't take his tunnel, but jack guessed it was because he wanted to keep an eye on him. He rubbed at his side which was irritating him again. The skin felt too hot for his normal temperature and he blast some frost onto the bandage in attempt to put a chill into his hot skin. The burn only increased.

Not 15 minutes later, a little bit past the Canadian border, the fictitious flames consumed him and he could no longer ignore it. Losing all ability to think, or even fly, he fell to the ground, griping his side. Bunny stopped dead in his tracks as soon as he heard the thunk of Jack's body hit the ground. Rushing to his side, Bunnymund turned him over. His eyes were tight shut and he breathed briskly and groaned. Bunny lifted him up when it was obvious Jack was immobilized and draped his feverish body over his shoulders. Tapping his foot quickly, he jumped into the tunnel and raced to the end of the portal.

Jumping into the workshop, he pulled Jack down into his arms and yelled for North. By now Jack was yelling profanities. The jolly spirit turned surprisedly from directing the yetis and his eyes widened. He rushed over and took the agonized boy from Bunny and ran to the open elevator cart. Jumping in and not even waiting for Bunny to catch up, he pressed the red 'hospital' button and the machine whirled to life and began it's upwards trek at a quick pace. Bunny crouched low, and used his powerful legs to jump atop the elevator. It stopped at a floor with wide glass doors and a big red plus sign on the wall. Tooth and Sandy appeared at their sides, they had heard Jack's yells and came hurriedly.

Inside the sterile room, medic yetis, who were attending to sick yetis workers, all stopped what they were doing and looked to North. He called over Katerina, the same worker that took care of Jack before. She quickly led them to an empty cot and pulled the curtain closed around them. Jack let out another harrowing yell before North shook his head and muttered some Yetish to Katerina and handed her a bottle of glowing blue fluid. She took a needle and filled it with the substance. She quickly, but carefully, inserted the syringe into his arm and pushed the blue liquid into his system. Pulling off the tie on his arm, Jack's painful groans immediately began to lessen until he blacked out in a matter of seconds.

A question mark appeared over Sandman's head signifying him asking _what was that stuff?_

North glanced at him and looked back at the unconscious guardian before replying "Gift from Man in Moon."

Katerina slowly unwrapped the bandage from his lower back and placed it on the medical tray beside the bed. Everyone's eyes widened and body's frozen, none releasing their deep breaths.

The injuries had healed, nothing but five little scars remained, but the skin around the scarred skin was tainted dusty black. "Wha- What is that?" Tooth asked shakily as she comforted her quivering fairies. _"It looks like it could be an infection, but I've never seen anything like this."_ the yeti stated to herself.

Katerina placed a tentative finger on one of the dark marks and recoiled her hand rapidly with a yelp. The tip of her finger was stained black. She looked from her finger to Jack's back and back to her finger in astonishment and wonder. Her green eyes widened and the breath caught in her throat.

The darkness had started inching down her hand, covering her arm in a black tint in a matter of minutes. She quickly excused herself and left the makeshift room. North apologized and followed after her. The guardians stood still, confused wether they should follow or just wait behind. Decidedly they stayed in place. Tooth wrung her hands as she watched Jack attentively and her feather ruffled every few seconds as a new thought popped into her head. Bunny tapped his foot anxiously, ears twitching a they picked up every sound in the infirmary. Sandy remained the calmest, though a thoughtful and worried look was unchangeably etched on his face.

Within fifteen minutes, North returned. Rubbing his temples and explaining that the other yetis are caring for Katerina right now. The coterie remained quiet, but wishing someone would say something. When someone finally spoke, Bunny it was of course, he said what they were all thinking "What the hell just happened?"

North sat in the armchair next to the hospital bed and eyed Jack warily for a moment before answering. "Jack has been accursed. Darkness runs through his blood, poisoning him. When my yeti, Katerina touched the source of the black magic, the hex was passed onto her."

"Did Pitch do this to him?" Tooth asks in disbelief, shaking nervously. North stood slowly and opened the small window above Jack's bed. He shakes his head eventually to answer her question and stares out the window at the sun rising over the gleaming mountains. "Pitch can only administer fear. This dark magic that has be used has the design to inflict a lot of harm. Someone else is helping Pitch, someone very, _very_ dangerous."

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**A/N: wow this one is quite a bit longer than the rest, but thats only cuz i couldn't figure out where i wanted to cut it off. trust me, the future chapters probably wont be as long as this.**

**This one might be one of my favs so far, mostly cuz i got to use a bunch of cool words and practice my descriptions of scenery, but mostly because Jack goes a little crazy in this one :P**

**what do you guys think of this chapter? i want to hear ALL your thoughts on it :) please review, reviews make me happy :)**


	4. Hallucinations and Doctor's orders

**A/N: The begining of this chapter is probably one of my favorite things I've written. I know I sound self-conceited when i say this, but I just feel that Jack's whole little hallucination thing is written prettily and is super relaxing, i almost fell asleep while writing it... maybe just because it is 3 in the morning? :P**

**Oh and btw, i made a slight change to chapter 3, its not that big, but if you want to go check it out, its there. it might be of important later, i'm not sure yet, but the edit i made in Ch.3 kinda goes along with something that happens in this chapter.**

**Sorry this chapter is super short :( i told you guys that it probably would be though...**

**and hurray for more crazy!Jack :D**

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Eyes open slowly. Colors blur and swirl together in the loft light of the room. His fingers flex and grazed over the soft material of the comforter. The window was open and the moon shone soft silver light into the room as it descended in the sky. A fire crackled at the far wall and soft snoring came from the foot of the bed. Lifting his head slowly, and letting the world stop spinning so fast, his eyes adjust on Tooth, who was sitting in a big leather chair, hunched over and her head resting on the bed. He blinked and found his lids fighting to stay closed. He felt the bed dip slightly and a shadow hid his face from the moon.

Turning, his gaze lands upon a young face. Big brown eyes with flecks of gold stare back and a small smile grows on her face. Her long hair hangs over her shoulder and fans out over the bedspread. The slowly setting moon behind her gleamed, giving the effect of a halo over her head. Leaning closer, a small finger brushed the snowy hair out of his eyes. Feather light finger tips traced patterns and shapes on his cheek and her endless chocolate eyes stared at him deeply.

_For one so young, her eyes hold much wisdom._

The phrase enters his mind, he isn't sure where he has heard it before, but something about this hallucination triggers it.

A hum softly caresses his sleep-muddled brain and he closes his eyes. A familiar tune, and a gentle, lightweight lullaby follows "... White is cold and always yearning, burdened by the royal test..."

As his mind comes back to reality, he focuses on the soothing designs delicately drawn on his cheek, touches as light as moonbeams. His eyes open once more and the bed is empty, the soft melody only an echo in his head. He moaned softly as he tried to roll over, inadvertently kicking Tooth's sleeping form. She sat up and yawned, but jumped awake when she saw Jack. She flutter to his side and smiled warmly, cradling his head with her feathered hands. His eyes drooped shut involuntary and he surrendered to sleep. Her soft whispers slowly faded out "Hey, sweetie. Don't worry, you're gonna be alright..."

* * *

Tooth sat attentively for the rest of the night in case he awoke again. By noon the next day, she was exhausted and couldn't keep her eyes open for more than 10 seconds. She shuffled farther back onto the chair and closed her eyes.

A light knock on the door stirred Tooth from her light slumber and she turned in her chair towards it. Bunny stuck his head in and glanced at Jack's sleeping form. "That stuff really knocked 'im out, didn't it?" He mused, stepping all the way in and keeping the door partially open.

"He woke up for a short while. Didn't say anything, just turned over and went back to sleep." Tooth yawned, stretching her stiff form and sitting up completely. Bunny rolled his eyes, but a smirk lightened him up as he stated "Sun's going down soon. Ya can't miss another night to collect the teeth." as a warning. She flittered to Jack's side and tenderly laid a hand over his slightly-warm face as Bunny took a seat at the foot of the bed to relieve her. Kicking his feet up onto the edge, he leaned back and closed his eyes after she closed the door softly behind her. The room was cast in a golden glow as the sun gave it's last light before edging behind the icy mountains in the distance, coloring the sky shades of orange, pink, yellow, and gold.

* * *

About the time of early morning, Bunny awoke to a loud thunk. He rubbed his eyes and stifled a yawn. Shivering in the chilly air, he stood up and stretched his back. Pulling back the covers of the bed to check on Jack, he found the large bed empty. He was glancing around the room and leaving to get the other guardians when he tripped.

Rubbing his head and cursing under his breath, he stood up and looked back. What he had tripped on had been Jack. The winter spirit rolled over and eyed Bunny through his disheveled hair. He grinned up at the pooka and shrugged.

* * *

As the other guardians gathered around the bed, Jack sulked in his place under the covers. The guardians talked quietly above him, as if he wasn't even there. Only when he huffed impatiently did they peer down at him.

According to Tooth's consistent reminders, he had to stay in bed no matter what. North tried to reason with him, and explain things with out fully saying what was wrong with Jack. "You're sick. Nothing to worry about, the yetis are finding cure. But for now, it's best that you stay in bed."

North smiled hopefully once more and pated him on the head before ducking his head to get out the door. Sandy gave him a lopsided smile and threw a pile of golden glimmering sand into the air above Jack's head. He silently explained that it was for when jack went to sleep, to give him pleasant dreams. Tooth watched on, unconsciously quivering and her hands pulled at a feather nervously. She flitted to his side and kissed his cheek maternally before laying a warm hand against his chilled forehead. Her bottom lip rubbed beneath her perfect teeth, but she kept whatever she wanted to say to herself. After she left, all who was left was the winter spirit and the easter kangaroo. Instead of a slight nod and a quick exit, like what Bunny would normally do, Jack was surprised to see him plop down into a wooden rocking chair in the corner of the room. Bunny stared back for a while before pulling an old book with a worn spine off the shelf and flipped through it.

"This is stupid, why do I have to stay in bed for... who knows how long? I feel fine, just a little run down."

Bunny glanced up and gave an uninterested smile "Don't worry, mate. You'll only be under house arrest for a few days. A week at most." he looked back down and continued reading. His foot tapped quietly on the ground and his chair lightly squeaked as he rocked in it. It entertained Jack, for a few seconds.

Jack sighed and looked out the window for something entertaining. All that he could was snow. Usually he liked the snow, it was who he was anyways, but not when he was bored out of his mind. Flopping his head back onto the pillow he blew cold breath out and watched drifting snowflakes get caught in the draft and swirl in a flurry. _This is going to be a _long _few days._

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__**A/N: well yep, this was kinda a filler chapter, maybe. i dont know. its whatever you want it to be.**

**oh and btw guys, i can not believe how many followers this story has! totally blows me away. and the reviews have been awesome! keep up the reviews people, they make me feel special ^.^**

**Since im on holidays, and im really busy, im not sure when im going to be able to write, so no idea when the next chapter will be up. hopefully soon, so lets keep our fingers crossed.**

**it'll probably be really small liket his one because I'm not really all that sure where i am going with this story... awkward, i hope i didn't just ruin this for you guys...**


	5. Pitch's night out on the town

**A/N: yay, an unexpected chapter! well i really wanted to write something other than Jack being all sick and crazy, so here is a little somethin-somethin for yall who wanted to hear more about Pitch and his mysterious ally! yep, you get to learn more about them and stuff.**

**P.S. this one is pretty angsty. just a warning**

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Pitch sat on his throne, watching his fearlings crawl and slither through the cracks of the ceiling and down the walls. They pooled together in the lowest, darkest part of the cave to escape the garish light of day. It didn't hurt them, like it didn't hurt Pitch, they just preferred the dark.

In the days where Pitch was trapped in his domain after his defeat, closed off from the outside world, he would sometimes sit with them and listen to whatever they had to say. They could still go topside and deliver nightmares to children, but they were weaker, so most stayed within the safety of the cave. They informed him about nightmares they delivered and the guardians' whereabouts and rouge spirits they encountered- and occasionally fight. It was the fearlings that had told him about a very certain spirit, and gave him the idea to form an alliance with him.

Speaking of said spirit, Pitch wondered where he was. Standing from his throne and waving to his questionable fearlings to carry on, that he would not be needing their assistance, he descended into the shadows and glided through the palace. A column of billowing shadow rushed through the endless empty rooms and brushed past dangling cages. Fearlings jumped to get out of his way and scurried up the walls. He ignored them and continued searching for his fellow dark spirit.

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The spirit sat alone, in the shade of the mouth of the cave. His back leaned against the wall and knees bent to his chest, his arms draped across them. His right hand held up in front of his face as he watched a small fearling weave between his fingers. It hissed and growled, low enough for only him to hear and he listened. Lightly petting the snake with his finger, he whispered to it a command and then let it go. He watched the fearling quickly slither across the damp ground and disappear outside, off to do more of his bidding. He sighed and watched children play in the sun below the cliffside where the cave entrance was hidden, chasing each other and rolling down hills. A small smile quirked his lips as a little girl tripped and fell face first into the dirt. All the other children stopped and laughed as she stood up and laughed along, playfully shoving the boy that had tripped her.

"There you are, dear friend." his smile quickly disappeared and he turned away to face Pitch. The nightmare king walked towards him, a shadow horse by his side glaring at him. Pitch glanced out at the children and held a distasteful look before looking at him quizzically and pursing his lips. "Why are you sitting out here?"

No answer, just an icy glare from under long black bangs. Pitch shrugged and continued to plague him with his presence "Just a question. Have you heard anything back from your little monstrosities?"

He slouched his shoulder in defeat and nodded "It's working. The hex is taking longer to effect him, but in a few days..." he trailed off, looking back towards the outside world. pitch nodded and followed his gaze for a moment before coming up with an idea. "Let's go out tonight, cause some mayhem while we wait for something to happen with Jack Frost."

A snake, larger than the one from earlier, slithered over his shoulder and dropped a glowing orb into his hand. He took it and pocketed it before looking at Pitch and agreeing reluctantly "Sure, why not? Have any ideas?"

Pitch smiled darkly and his eyes narrowed "Burgess."

* * *

They walked down the warm pavement. His eyes were locked on the concrete beneath his bare feet and Pitch walked proudly beside him, hands clasped behind his back. Most people walking down the same pavement brushed past, staring at the two before continuing. A few walked through Pitch, but it didn't bother him. A pair of teenage girls walking the opposite direction bumped into him. She apologized and smiled at him. He ignored her though. "Alright, let's see what we can do." Pitch announced as he came to a halt at a corner. Cars zoomed pass, heading home most likely, and made sharp turns in the square, squeaking and slipping on the damp roads. "Oh this is too easy." Pitch muttered as he followed a black CR-V out of the main part of town and into the rural neighborhoods. He blew a little shadow dust onto the street in front of the oncoming car. The sand gripped the tires and ripped them, throwing them off balance. The car swerved off the road and wrapped around a tree. A young boy was thrown through the window of the back seat, landing about 20 feet away. The hazard lights blurred and smoke billowed form the car's hood. Pitch laughed and hooted beside him, stepping closer to the vehicle.

The teen spirit closed his eyes tightly. Beneath his eye lids he saw the golden forms of the two parents in the front seat. _Unconscious, but not dead. _A strong force tugged at his core in the opposite direction. He turned towards the source of the pull and a crumpled form lay in the distance. Coming closer, he inspected the blood pooling around the boy and the shattered breaths from his mouth. Blonde hair was matted with blood and his leg was twisted in an abnormal way.

The dark spirit knelt over the injured boy, he held his head still with one hand and placed a finger on his chest. A pained whimper escaped the boys lips. He slowly ran his finger up the boy's chest and throat. The boy's mouth parted and his eyes closed tightly. A small tear rolled down his cheek and he breathed his last breath as a luminous white orb of energy was extracted from him, held in the two fingers of the immortal. His hands covered the orb and he ground them together, crushing the ball in his hands. Bits of white escape the cracks between his fingers and dripped to the ground and seeped in.

Opening a pouch, he tipped his hand and poured the remaining black powder into it. Hooking the pouch back onto his belt, he stood up and turned around, coming face to chest with Pitch. He smirked down at the spirit "That was something wasn't it?"

He sighed and brushed past Pitch and discreetly looked up at the moon. "It's been a while since I've had to take a life. Usually my fearlings will do it."

"Is that why you've been held up in caves lately and so antisocial?" Pitch joked. He tried to cheer him, not wanting to end the fun "It's just what you were made to do, Death, you can't avoid it. Now let's go have a bit more fun."

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**A/N: blehhhh i still write too fast! i can't seem to make anything last.**

**OMG we now know who that spirit is... dun dun DUNNNN. (wow i'm weird)**

**well i told you guys it was angsty, and you learned something new! i know i right kinda confusingly, so any questions just ask in a review.**

**again, don't expect another chapter soon, i might update again, but thats a maybe. Holidays are confusing times for me. XD**

**FAVE, FOLLOW, AND REVIEW!**


	6. Sweet nightmares, Jack

**AN: first of all, i know. I am a despicable human being. I've just real busy with school and writers block and new obsessions with shows *cough cough S****_upernatural _****cough cough* **

**but i finally got this chapter done adn who knows when the hell i'll even start the next chapter. oh well, beggars can't be choosers *shrug***

**btw thanks for all the new favs and follows this has gotten over the past couple months :3**

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Ch.6

Jack had settled into a trance. Staring blankly up at the beige ceiling, where patches of frost grew under his icy stare and melted from the warmth of the fire. Little slivers of the ice would chip off and slowly float down to land silently on the bedspread. _5 seconds_ he counted the time it took for the flakes of frost to reach the bed below.

Being bed-ridden sucked, and now that the medicine was fully out of his system, he couldn't sleep that much. No one would tell him what was wrong with him yet, just that they were trying to find a cure. _Cure for what? _He felt fine, as normal as he's always felt...

...Except for at the darkest times of night, when everything was quiet and the shadows surrounded him. When Bunny snored softly in the corner and dream sand danced above his head. Jack avoided sleeping, in fear of another nightmare. But something deep inside him thirsted for those dark dreams, where he dwelled in the darkest and coldest of caves, using his frost to ice the roads and laugh in triumph when cars slid and crashed. The desire to freeze the guardians in their places and laugh along with Pitch and the other dark spirit as they took the lives of the legendary Guardians.

The muscles in his back tensed and he felt a- now familiar- wave pulse through him. He had drifted off. His eyes opened with a start and he sat up, sighing shakily when he saw the frost stretching across the wooden floor and reaching for Bunny's sleeping form. He dropped his staff and the floral frost receded back towards the bed. A cold sweat left his forehead sticky and his throat was dry. Sneaking out of bed and down the hallway was tricky, he fumbled and had to grasp onto the wall for support once, but he managed. Flipping the light in the bathroom, he grabbed a solid ice cup with tiny intricate carvings decorating the sides and filled it with water from the tap. Gulping it down in a second, he slammed it onto the counter and winced when the cup shattered and ice splinters littered the floor. He stooped to reach for them but felt his knees start to weaken. He grasped the counter and pulled himself back up. Glancing up at his reflection in the frosty mirror, he stared in horror at what was becoming of him.

His skin was pale, far paler than normal and his lips were tinged a light shade of blue. His ordinarily white hair was a dull chalky color, mixed with blotches of brown where the frost was melting away. His eyes were lacking their radiant blue shine, replaced with a casper blue-grey. _What... what's happening to me?_

* * *

"Good." Pitch smirked as he turned back around, folding his hands under his chin. He thought for a moment in the dead silence of the cave before he called to a fearling and stroked its head affectionately "Vashta, I need you to deliver a little gift to dear Frosty for me."

The beast nodded it's head swiftly, tapping its feet impatiently. Pitch chuckled at it's enthusiasm and scratched under it's chin. The horse whinnied, a soft hissing forming words under the bray, but Death was too far away from them to hear properly. Pitch pondered momentarily before shrugging "Surprise me, give him a nightmare of your choice."

It reared it's front legs when Pitch gave his nod of dismissal and it took off, hooves thundering off the cave walls before it slipped through a crack in the rock and disappeared. Pitched glanced back at the bored spirit and mumbled "If you want something to do, you can go with her." He gestured behind him in the direction the fearling had ran, "Help push the process along."

* * *

Opening his eyes quickly, Jack didn't know where he was, but he knew he wasn't at the North Pole anymore. He immediately recognized the rough, moist substance below his feet as asphalt. The street he was standing in was empty. No cars speeding bye or people walking down the sidewalk. The small shops were lit up and welcoming, but not a soul to be seen. Jack turned around and almost tripped on his staff lying haphazardly on the slick ground. He reached down to grab it and rubbed the familiar wood with his finger as he stood.

When he looked back up the scenery had changed. The road he had just been standing in the middle was now a back alley, dark and sketchy. The only light emitted from a flickering street lamp at the end of it, a figure standing in the shadows, just out of reach of the yellow lamp. He looked almost unearthly, his eyes radiating a shimmering gold despite where he stood in the shadows, his slick black hair sprinkled silver by the moonlight and haloed with the glow of the streetlight, the inky-darkness of the sky above him and the city noises far below. He could almost past for a normal teenaged boy, if it weren't for the shifting sand floating and weaving in his hands. The black scythe with the glossy black blade tucked between his arm and his side was a dead giveaway too.

Death walked toward jack, twirling the scythe nonchalantly with his fingers. Jack raised his staff and tried to unleash it's icy power from within the twists of wood, but not even a small breeze was created. He was about to try again when with a flick of Death's wrist, the staff was thrown form his hands and shattered against the graffitied wall. "You're in Pitch's realm Jack. You have no control of what happens here."

The winter spirit swelled with inexplicable anger and all he wanted to do was kill the spirit in front of him, and make him suffer. Death smirked, almost as if he heard Jack's thoughts. He tilted his hand down and an onyx snake slithered out from his sleeve, gnashing its teeth and hissing aggressively. With a blur of black dust, Death was gone but the snake remained.

It's eyes sparkled bright vermillion as it charged, belly scales like glass squealing on the ground. Black dust sprayed out of its nose with each labored breath. Jack thought quickly and jumped behind a dumpster, barely dodging the bloody fangs that had dove for him. As the snake turned back around to strike again, he lifted a lid to the dumpster and bashed it head, the body dispersing into and cloud of sand. Jack stood quickly, still running on his uncontainable rage. He ran out into the muddy street and glanced around. A figure disappearing behind the wall of bushes at the tiny park caught his attention. He ran towards it, bare feet slipping under him, but he maintained balance.

Skidding around the corner he almost ran right into a small girl. Her closed eyes leaked tears and she grasped a teddy bear in one of her small hands. Jack cocked his head in confusion, his fury withering. She looked up with bright gold eyes and sobbed "Can you help me please?"

But as soon as he saw those gold eyes, his temper flared up again. She stepped back uneasily at his glare. Before she could get out another _lie_, the back of Jack's hand struck _Death, it was Death's_ cheek. The girl staggered back, dropping her bear in a puddle as she placed her tiny hand on the inflamed skin. when he took a small step closer she screamed and ran off, splashing in muddy puddles as she ran. Jack made an enraged shout and followed after the shape-shifting spirit. She hadn't gotten very far before he caught up, grabbing the back of her nightgown and spinning her around.

"Dammit, stop screwing around! I'm ready to fight you, and end all this. So drop the innocent little girl act and face me!"

The young girl only trembled in fear as she stared up at the spirit. It was pissing him off. Another temper flared when she sniffled and he snapped, he was tired of all this shit. He shoved her, hard, and smiled when he heard the crack of skull against the brick wall of the small shop. As her body fell to the ground, it exploded into a thousand tiny black diamonds falling around and Jack stared quizzically.

A chilling scoff came from behind Jack and he spun around fast. Bunny stood in front of him, arms crossed against his chest. "That was easier than I thought."

It looked exactly like Bunny, but that wasn't his voice. Gold eyes hidden in fluffy fur caught the light and Death sighed "It was only a matter of time, Jack."

"Until?" Jack breathed, still coming down from the high of his little temper tantrum. Death pointed a fuzzy finger at the shop window behind Jack and stated "Until you broke."

Turning slowly, he stepped up to the big glass and peered inside at the little knick knacks on the shelves and food stacked high in the back. A flicker of gold caught his attention, and he adjusted his view to see he was staring back at his reflection. Gold eyes with black hole pupils. He spun quickly back to Death, but his yell was cut off by a fist making contact to his cheek, and everything went black.

* * *

He jumped awake, breathing deeply and sitting amongst thrashed blankets. He leaped from the bed and ran towards the bathroom, flipping on the light to stare at his reflection.

Small gold flecks dotted his irises and he felt as if he were about to scream hen a soft hand grasped his shoulder and he looked back. Bunnymund stood behind looking worried and his hand came up to catch the fist Jack swung at him, still shaken up from his dream. He stopped Jack's fist automatically, like he knew it was going to happen. jack glanced back at the mirror, but the gold was gone. Just the sickly pale blue that had become normal. "Com'on mate, this is the fifth time tonight." Bunny yawned as he gently, but forcefully pulled Jack away from the mirror and down the hall and back into his sick bed where Jack stared at the black specs of nightmare sand stuck to the ceiling until dawn.

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**Thanks! don't forget to leave a review :)**


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